St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-11
Special Letter to the Globe.
II x

80 BlAn. s:ASc( walk around
nv. 2H|Ih- - the old city; in
zM =. closed with less
JG~ than two miles
~ of Roman wall!
From elevated
points we saw
the new city stretching away out
side the walls. King Charles l. stood
on the tower which now bears
his name, and saw his enemy defeated
on ROwtOn Moor. As we looked in the
same direction we could only see ''New-
town." that part of Chester occupied by
flourishing manufactures. and needed
to turn toward the old cathedral to be
again carried back to the past.
THIS CATHEDRAL,
one of the oldest in England, is plain,
bare and cold. Our imaginatiOnS, how
ever, because so heated when we Wis
tied it that we forget the chilling stones
beneath covered with inscriptions so
worn we could gather only word here
and there, and Toasted our eyes on the
exquisite carved wood of the stalls in
the choir. 1t is said there is no stall
work of equal beauty in Eng
land. The nearest approach is
ly perpendicular! said our guide, but
we lost sight and sound of him and ex-
amined the carved designs on the miSer-
ereS of the stalls. Suddenly a bang and
fall startled us into looking at the YER
ger. He was just getting up from under
desk, and we realized that he had
given practical Illustration of the grief
to which sleepy wOrShiper might be
brought when trusting too much to the
treacher0uS followed seat in his stall.
Even the faithful might be forgiven for
nOdding, if all the services were as long
as some we have attended. ''WOmen
are more confiding than men"-again
we left our carving to follow this VEN
ture on the part of the verger-SO /
would rather tell them that this border
round these four stone pictures "a mo-
sale in the floor is said to be fragments
of the teSselated pavement brought
from the temple area at Jerusalem.
Closer attention with murmured sur
prise on the part of the women, sitter
backs on the part of the men, who are
afraid of being too cOnfiding, and a not
very solemn twinkle in the eye of the
verger. Doubtless he considers his
party ripe for the sarcOphaguS, and we
aretaken into st. Mary Magdalen
chapel. There is the tomb looking old
enough to cOrrObOrate the oldest tradi-
ton. We caught the words, "Said to con-
tain the bones of an eminent monk Of st.
Werburgh'S abbey, who upon his death
bed confessed himself to be no less than
the Emperor Henry w., of Germany.
Certainly it would be a signal diStinc-
ton of this cathedral if it could show
the sepulcher of the German emperor
who met Pope Gregory VII. in the snow
at CanOssa-wOuld it not ladies?" A
murmur of assent, and we pass through
N hnnrrfifrrl Tor nf sc1,
manship, satisfied that these are facts
and not traditions.
DOMESTIC SCENE.
SO, l forgot, ladies! If there is here
wife with an unkind husband, come with
me.n Back we troOped (men and alb to
the fascinating carved stairs. ''There,
ladies; that is the way to treat him!'
We crowded around to see a grOteSque
female figure with protesting head
under one arm, the other arm raised as
if the next blow would quiet forever the
recalcitrant heels of her offending
spouse. This on a monks stall! There
are sermons in StOneS-perhaps some
one could find text, at least, in the
carving where st. Werburgh is repre-
scented exercising discipline over a flock
of refractory geese. And for the chap
ter house and refractory, but better than
these the
OLD NORMAN CRYPT.
The verger unlocked the door and in
we f1ocked only to see plain but grand
arches and pillars, and to note that
cellars of houses now inhabited have
trespasSed on this crypt for plebian uses.
To think that on the other side of that
fine arch are doubtless hanging hams
and swinging shelves, and that
some burial slab makes a convenient
stepping-stone to a bin of potatoes.
Shades of Hugh Lupus!
POTATOES.
Speaking of potatoes reminds me of
our walk through the market, where
we saw them selling potatoes no larger
than marbles. ''DO you use those for
seed?'' l asked the CHEEKY, red-faced
more CHEEKY and more red-faced, il pos
sible, than the stallkeeper. ssfhey're
good, VERY good mas hall they need
is bit of a wash round," indicating
with a significant gesture the process,
and l believe that is all they would get
from her; ''h-and they hare has good
has h any! ave some, ma'am?"
MUSEUM.
We were pleased with the excellent
portraits and bust of Charles Kingsley
at the GroSyenOr museum. One can
hardly think of Kingsley without think
ing of nature, or study nature without
longing for Kingsley's searching eyes.
We expected to find the natural history
rooms just as they were. The cOllec-
lions were small but fine. The windows
are worth some careful attention. Our
chief interest, just now, was the re-
mains found in Chester, Roman tiles,
MosaicS, amphOr9. Perhaps the most
curious of these relics is an altar to
AvernuS, the only one ever known. 1t
bears a date and the name of the man
who felt the necessity of propitiating
the power of darkness. Even so late as
the day of our arrival in Chester, a
stone, with curious Inscriptions, was
discovered near King Charles tower. 1t
promises to be of considerable interest,
but has yet to be submitted to the s'wise
men,"
HAwARDEN CASTLE.
On Sunday we drove to Hawarden
castle, Gladstone'S home, in North
Wales. The old castle near by had a
commanding view, and is grand in it's
ruins. Cromwell blew hit hover"
said our driver, "but the toughest job e
lad was BeestOn CASTLE" He pointed
with his whip to blue line of hills, out
of which we could see the dim outline
of what might have been tower. Near
the new castle, the home, were many
small children. "Horphans from the
horphanage, Mrs. Gladstone keeps up
at FER hown hexpense," explained our